According to 2018 data by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB), the main electricity sources in Ontario are nuclear energy and water power
Nuclear energy: 58.3%
Waterpower: 23.9%
Wind: 8%
Natural gas: 6.2%
Solar: 2.3%
Bioenergy: 0.5%
Other: 0.8%
In July of this year the government of Canada committed itself to the largest greenhouse gas reductions in the history of the country to net zero by 2050. As a nation we are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 40-45% by the year 2030 only a short nine years away. We know that as Canadians that we are the biggest consumers of energy in the world, even greater than the United States. Much of that energy is used to heat our homes from October through April.
In Canada two thirds of homes use forced air furnaces and two thirds of those home rely on natural gas as the energy source for heat. In order to meet those goals homeowners will have to upgrade their furnaces often switching to the more expensive electrical heat, making homes more energy efficient and requiring all new home construction to have the highest levels of energy efficiency.
But if we are going to meet those goals, Canadians will need to make decisions about how they generate electricity. Currently in Ontario we rely primarily on nuclear energy and if those plants are phased out like the plant in Pickering, we will have to replace those energy losses with other power generating systems.
Droughts have force hydro plants to reduce their electrical output. Lower winds across the prairies have reduced wind energy. Solar power delivery drops in the winter owing to shorter daylight hours. A new east west transmission line connecting Wawa with Thunder Bay will be in operation in the first quarter of 2022.
New forms of small nuclear reactors have been designed allowing for the distribution of nuclear energy in more remote areas. Nuclear energy remains the cheapest form of electrical generation. Would Canadians be comfortable adding more nuclear generating stations? In the future we need to ask if we will be able to generate enough electricity from solar or wind to make up the coming demands and the switch from carbon fuels.
Will Canadians be able to retrofit their homes to reduce their energy consumption. Will programs be expanded by the provincial and federal governments to reduce energy consumption in homes and businesses? These are all important questions that will be debated in the next decade to reach net zero.
Former Publisher
Fort Frances Times
